Blog 7: Mindfulness / Zen Meditation

"Zen is a practice and a way of life, not a religion. It is not a belief system, it does not promulgate any dogma... Zen complements whatever religion one subscribes to and makes one a better practitioner of that religion because the sincere practice of Zen leads to a profound spiritual experience which is the core of every religion.."

Source: Zen Philippines

REFLECTION FRAMEWORK

Part One : See-Experience/Conscious Experience 

To experience meditation is to experience pure bliss and calmness.

The breathing exercises, walking and various position techniques has led me to a mindful practice  for a healthier living.

To experience mindfulness, I set aside a lot of thought where my mind and body became more sensitive about my surroundings . In that short period of time, I was able to experience serenity of thought because I gave myself time to have a brake and to stop thinking of a lot of unnecessary things such as anxiety and depression.

Because of that everything become clear. I was able to become more productive afterwards. It’s like an instant reset button of my thought.

I was able to experience a sense of control.  It reminded me that no matter what happens in our surroundings, we can still stand up and survive.

All the experiences in the meditation exercise is empowering.

Part Two : Analysis and Reflection

Being mindful therefore is making us more conscious and more aware of our present for us to have better grip of ourselves.The kind of relaxation meditation brings heals.

As  a challenge of my faith, of being Christian and Lasallian, we should always meditate. It is said in  Psalm 1:21 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD and on his law he meditates day and night.”

I asked myself how can I prioritize enriching myself physically and spirituality when  I am faced with daily pressures, quotas, a fast paced environment and pressure from friends and colleagues. We have to set aside time to enrich our physical and spiritual aspect, we should experience life to its fullest.

I realized that I should take the time to relax my body and mind, no matter busy I get or whatever troubles I have. I don’t always have to be inspired. It’s okay to devote time solely to myself and my mental health, to remind myself to slow down and breathe especially when my anxiety is bad.

  

Part Three : Commitment-Action/Committed Action

As a Christian and Lasallian, I commit myself to enrich the spiritual aspect of my well being with these steps:

1.         Prioritize and make it a morning habit to do meditation, read a verse in the Bible and do my breathing exercises. From that point, I will pray to God on what his message is for me.

2.         I will make sure to remember and hold the bible verse I read that morning  for the day. I will practice it as how a good Christian practices bible verses.

3.         Be more thankful and grateful in my life. I believe that being grateful builds good values and promotes better character development.

4.         I will  forgive myself for all the bad things I’ve done to myself. Instead of blaming myself, I will look for an opportunity to forgive myself as well as  other people.

5.         I will set aside whining and negative thoughts and change my perspective that bad situations is an opportunity to change things and look for a solution.

6.         I will focus on the people who love me rather than on people who pull me down.

7.         I will keep on praying in everything I do and I will always ask guidance from God.  I will always offer all the victory in my life to God.

At least once a month, I would love to spend time for myself.  I will detach myself and try to keep connected to God and to myself even just for a day.